A slice of pizza history

by Jun 22, 2020Food & Wine, Southern Europe

If we can claim for any dish that absolutely rules the world’s cuisine, known in any corner of the planet, that would be pizza.

While, passionately waiting for the next bite, we rarely think about glorious pizza history and its way from gastronomic rubble to the “holy grail” of flavors and texture. Moment has come to reveal and eat a perfect slice of pizza’s history. Isn’t it fascinating, that even prosperous and mysterious civilization of Etruscans that came to Italian peninsula around 850 BC were dealing with probably first versions of pizza. Flat bread with cheese or vegetables were truly present in greatest diversity of cultures: from Persian and Etruscan, to Middle East and Ancient Greece. Simplicity and efficiency of preparation was the main power engine for any version of pizza, tracing it way to the top.
We are sure that vulgar Latin language clearly describes pizza for the first time in 992.  in a charming coastal town of Gaeta, an hour and 30 min drive south from Rome. It spreaded quickly to the area of L’Aquila and Pesaro on the east coast of Italy where first names for a dish was pitta, due to special flat bread they used. This was fare enough for a birth of a new chapter of our pizza history. Lets now focus on the essence: pizza through its history evolves as typical food for the poor. It keeps reminding us, how even simple dishes from Italian “La Cucina Povera” (cuisine of the poor) can take over the world’s throne.
Old, black and white picture of Naples

Naples as it once was  unsplash.com

Need for a simple, quick prepared, and tasty food was dominating poor classes throughout the centuries and finally reached streets of exotic and beautiful Naples in the XVIII century. This city of sun, colors, cheerful locals and greatest possible freshness of food, takes over the leading role in the final steps of pizza’s glory. It is here word pizza was used for the first time. Always busy streets of Naples were loaded with vendors, selling delightful pizzas with diverse toppings, for a very cheap price. That’s how flavors of perfectly baked pizzas occupied Naples.

Pizza virtuous for the queen

And then comes the year 1889. when Italian Queen Margherita of Savoy comes to visit Naples. Is there a food dignified enough for the queen? Chef Raffaele Esposito certainly knew the answer, preparing three types of pizza for the queen. First came pizza Mastunicola with lard, cheese and basil, maybe a little bit to heavy for the first lady.  Then  pizza Marinara arrived with tomato, garlic and oregano, and finally, the one with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese and a few leaves of fresh basil.

Sign for the real Neapolitan pizza

Traditional sign for vera pizza Napoletana

Perfectly baked pizza Margherita
Perfectly baked Margherita

The last pizza was crucial. It impressed Queen Margherita not only for perfectly balanced flavors, or heavenly tender dough, but for representing colors of Italian flag, through ingredients on it. This was an absolute moment of truth for a pizza that will be remembered as Pizza Margherita forever. It seems that all mentioned stories still hang around Naples centro storico.

Perfect slice of pizza history

You can easily notice a sign VERA PIZZA NAPOLETANA. It regularly includes La Pulcinella – XVII century Neapolitan comedy and puppetry character baking a pizza, with reddish sketch of Vesuvius volcano in the background. Then, you can be  sure you are on the right place. Enter the world of real Neapolitan pizza and admire unique way of making and treating a dough by pizzaiolo (master of pizza). In his hands, typical 00 flour, water, yeast, salt and technique “staglio a manno” will grow to  the level of “panetto” or a small bread dough ball resting for another 6 hours before the final moment.  Manual or finger magic in spreading the base for a pizza is essential together with San Marzano tomato sauce, DOP mozzarella cheese and extra virgin olive oil. Wooden burned oven is then ready to take another set of pizzas on a temperature between 800/900F (430/480C) to bake them for only 60 to 90 seconds. Passion applied to each of the steps will create a pizza to dream about:  soft and elastic with perfectly melted mozzarella above refreshing tomato, basil on top, and famous swollen, crispy edge – cornicione.

Thin but delicious sea food pizza
Thin, but delicious sea food pizza

After having pizza Margherita in Naples, your attitude towards this unbeatable dish will never be the same again. Sometimes, even for entering traditional pizzeria, we need a little bit of background knowledge . That is how we can truly understand pizza,  its meaning and glory. Now hurry up and get your own slice of pizza history.

Buon Apettito.!!
Diversity of pizza flavors including prosciuto one, tomato and basil, mushrooms...

Travel Authentic. Live Inspired.

Diversity of  flavors

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Even among traditional Vera Pizza Napoletana pizzerias in Naples, there are some, where the essence of  pizza passion and taste becomes an ultimate experience. Check out our reccomendations…

L’antica Pizzeria da Michele
Via Cesare Sersale, 1, 80139,  Open Mon-Sat 11am-10.30pm
micheleintheworld.com

Sorbillo
Via dei Tribunali, 38, 80138,  Open Mon-Sat midday-3.30pm and 7pm-12pm
pizzeria-sorbillo.it

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You always dreamed to become a perfect pizza master? Here is your chance to learn from one of the best in the world, pizzaiolo Davide Civitiello…

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